-Written by Kyle Bain.
After a harrowing accident on her family farm, Cáit (Isabelle Connolly) is forced to make an impossible decision. There is no right answer, but what this teenaged girl decides will ultimately alter the fabric of her family dynamic forever.
The sounds of crackling bacon or someone chopping vegetables have always appealed to me. There’s something exciting about these sounds, about the sounds of productivity or the promise that I’ll likely get to eat soon. Never did I anticipate these same sounds would one day be used to develop intensity, to create a dark, harrowing tone. However, that’s exactly what Writer-Director Jamie O’Rourke is able to accomplish in his short film Calf.
The somber tones of string instruments fill the air as Cáit deals with tragedy. As they surround her, the film becomes heavier still, weighing down viewers, nearly depressing them along the way. Calf is a trying film, one that expresses some of the worst parts of humanity–and the musical notes that accompany it strengthen it, allowing it to soar.
The tone is set as soon as the film begins, introducing viewers to something heavy and harrowing. The aforementioned score and sound design certainly help that to come to life, but the physical darkness that consumes the screen throughout is the primary reason why Calf is successful in this regard. As we transition from place to place around this family’s farm, every crevice of it is consumed by a darkness that lets viewers know not only that something bad is about to happen, but that something sinister has been happening on this farm. While aspects of the lighting are done naturally as the sun begins to rise, there are other aspects that appear to be developed artificially. That’s not to say that these instances feel inorganic, as that certainly isn’t true. The fact that light is manipulated in Calf allows those darker sentiments to come through even stronger.
While we sort of get an idea of why Cáit’s decision is so terrifying, and while we aren’t ever explicitly told–I do believe that by the end of the film O’Rourke has provided enough evidence to which we both respect and support the decision that is ultimately made. We are ultimately given very little backstory on Cáit and her family, but that sort of forces viewers to pay closer attention, scouring for answers. Calf is certainly an immersive experience, and the mystery that extends from start to finish plays a significant role in that.
Calf is a slow burn that ultimately pays off in the end. It establishes a dark, harrowing tone in the opening seconds and that transcends the film in its entirety. I could feel the weight that rested on Cáit’s shoulders throughout the film, even before I knew what it really was or why it was there. Calf is a spectacular venture into the challenging life of a farming family, one that ropes you in from the start and refuses to let go.
Written & Directed by Jamie O’Rourke.
Starring Isabelle Connolly, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Stephen Hogan, Isaac Fitzgerald, Peter Hayes, etc.
9/10 = DROP EVERYTHING AND WATCH IT NOW
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